Cheri Lynn Marler (Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office)
A 52-year-old babysitter in Wyoming is currently behind bars after she allegedly killed the 5-year-old girl in her care by repeatedly “clapping” the kindergartner’s head between her hands and reportedly telling police she did it because she was “sick of” the child and “just wanted to kill” her.
Cheri Lynn Marler is currently awaiting trial on charges of first-degree murder and child abuse in the girl’s horrific 2022 slaying.
According to the Kemmerer Police Department, officers at about 3:38 p.m. on Nov. 25, 2022, responded to a call about an unresponsive female child at a residence located in Kemmerer, which is about 35 miles from the state’s western border with Utah. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders said that they located the victim unconscious and not breathing on a couch in the living room.
Marler, who was the sole person caring for the child at the time, told police that the little girl had fallen down the stairs. Authorities said that the injuries suffered by the child “did not appear consistent with the story that was told to officers on scene,” which prompted police to open a criminal investigation.
Emergency medical services personnel arrived on the scene a short while later and took over attempts to perform lifesaving measures. The victim was then transported to the South Lincoln Medical Center for treatment. Due to the severity of her condition, she was later airlifted to Primary Children’s Hospital in Utah.
Unfortunately, the child succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at about 9 a.m. on Nov. 26, 2022. Police on Nov. 27 placed Marler under arrest and charged her with the aforementioned crimes.
Court documents obtained by the Cowboy State Daily reportedly state that Marler “admitted” to killing the 5-year-old when questioned by police.
According to the report, Marler said she struck the child about five to 10 times “in a clapping motion.”
“(Marler) explained it as though she was clapping with (the child’s) head in the middle,” the affidavit reportedly states.
The victim went to lay down immediately afterward and was later found by Marler unconscious, per the report. That is when Marler allegedly said she called 911 and told authorities that the child’s injuries were the result of falling down the stairs. Marler also allegedly admitted to beating the victim the previous day using kitchen utensils.
Marler had also previously told an acquaintance that she “hated” the victim, was “sick of” her, and “just wanted to kill her,” per the Cowboy State Daily. That acquaintance later informed police of Marler’s comments.
The investigator who penned the probable cause affidavit reportedly summarized the brutality of the abuse, writing, “We’re shocked at the amount of bruising, cuts, abrasions, and the overall condition” in which they found the child.
Marler’s defense attorney this month filed a motion with the court seeking to have her alleged confession thrown out as well as the comments she allegedly made to her acquaintance. Those requests were both denied.
“The motion to suppress evidence is denied,” the presiding judge reportedly wrote in the brief order.
Marler’s trial is currently set for Jan. 22.
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